uptowngirl

I usually use the M79 cross town bus to go across the park to the West side. The M 79 uses the 79th traverse road to cross Central Park from where it connects onto 81st Street along Columbus Avenue before once again turning on to W 79th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenue.
W 79th Street actually stretches from Central Park West ( the American Museum of Natural History) up to the west side highway where it hosts the 79th Street Boat basin which is an especially popular summertime haunt. The real estate topography of W 79th street includes high several rise buildings that date from before and after the war and include stately edifices like the Apthrop which in my opinion is one of the prettiest buildings in New York City which actually has the appearance of an old world palace and the imposing structure of the First Baptist Church which is located on Broadway and 79th Street.
The various buildings that line West 79th Street also host diverse commercial establishments like doctor’s offices, restaurants like the popular brunch spot Nice Matin which is located on the ground floor of 201, West 79th Street, Ducale on Columbus Avenue and, Bettola on Amsterdam Avenue along with an outpost of the popular discount retailer, Filenes Basement which located on the corner of W 79th Street and Broadway. West 79th street also used to host an outpost of old-world NYC butcher Ottomanelli Brothers but it recently shut shop due to rising costs and untenable rents.

W72nd Street which extends from Central Park West to Riverside Drive has always been a rather well known street in New York for it hosts one of the most famous co-ops in New York City, the Dakota. The Dakota which is located on the corner of Central Park West and 72nd Street is a huge fortress like building which is an architectural marvel what with its balconies, balustrades and other trimmings.This magnificent edifice which was home to John and Yoko Lennon has also hosted other famous New Yorkers like Leonard Bernstein, the composer and conductor, Lauren Bacall, the actress, Judy Garland, the singer, William Inge, the playwright, Jo Mielziner, the stage designer and Rex Reed, the columnist. Aside from Dakota, the street also hosts several other impressive buildings(high rise) like the beaux arts Chatsworth building at Riverside drive and the Corner a glass and tower edifice which now houses the Upper West Side location of NYC’s a favorite food store, Trader Joe’s.
W72nd Street also hosts many restaurants and commercial establishments like the Upper West side outpost of my favorite cupcake store the Buttercup Bake Shop, Seven’s Turkish Grill, the shoe heaven of Tip Top Shoes( where I once dropped $70 on a pair of flip flops) and Dallas BBQ Upper West Side.
This street which is one of the traverse roads of Central Park is served by the M72 Cross town bus and also hosts a rather elegant subway station that receives the #1,2 and 3 trains.
The Verdi Square is yet another landmark of West 72nd Street, this small patch of green which is located on West 72nd Street at the junction of Broadway and 72nd Street is equipped with a few benches that beckon you to take a break and rest while you soak in the buzzing atmosphere of New York City as it rushes around you.

When people refer to the neighborhood of Long Island City they generally seem to be talking about the fast developing neighborhood of Hunters point which is in fact just one of the many neighborhoods of Long Island City in Queens. This neighborhood which is located one stop away from Midtown on the number 7 train is essentially an industrial neighborhood which is currently undergoing rapid gentrification.
This favored area of Long Island City is actually known as Hunters Point and a couple of years ago we spent many a weekend there as we were considering buying into one of the many new condominium developments which are coming up at the edge of the East River. Many of these developments are actually old time warehouses which are being redeveloped into swanky loft type residences with all the necessary accouterments like gyms, swimming pools and party rooms. Since we were exploring the neighborhood on the weekends we had a chance to get a real feel for the neighborhood which actually seemed rather desolate in spite of all the hectic construction activity.
I am sure this is not the case during the work week for the neighborhood actually hosts quite a few important buildings like the Citibank Tower on Court Square, the mixed use Queens West Towers and the Long Island City Court House along with famed landmarks like Silver Cup Studios , the P.S.1 art space which an outpost of the MOMA museum, the Socrates Sculpture Park and 5 Pointz which is an artist outdoor exhibit space.
During our expeditions in Long Island City we actually came across a real cool speakeasy called Dutch Kills which served some amazing cocktails in a fantastic old world ambiance . This bar alone would give us reason enough to come back to Long Island City even though at the end of our meanderings we had decided we didnt really want to move to Long Island City in spite of the fact that proceeds from the sale of our Manhattan apartment would probably fetch us more living space and even a car parking allotment in one of the swanky new towers which are being erected all over the neighborhood.

East 66th Street is a quiet tree lined street which is considered to be one of the prettiest streets on the Upper East Side. This street which hosts mainly pre-war buildings and townhouses used to until recently lie within one of the most prestigious zip codes in the USA- 10021 believed to be home to some of the richest people in the country. This changed in 2007 when the US postal service divided this zip code and placed E 66 in zip code 10065. All this may sound trivial to someone who doesn’t live in New York City but if you are a New Yorker you would understand the snob value attached to this particular zip code.
E. 66th street extends from York Avenue to Central Park on 5th Avenue. There is an entrance to the Park on 66th street and the M66 bus which traverses the length of the 66th Street from the East to the West Side and back uses the 65th traverse road through the park.
Some of the major landmarks on East 66th Street include buildings like the historic Carrie Astor House on 3 East 66th Street which houses the Indian consulate( the visa section of the consulate however is located in the basement of the building and is anything but grand), the newly constructed Sloan Kettering Breast and Imaging center which is located on Second Avenue and the Manhattan House apartment block which is a post war building on 200 East 66th Street which has recently been cited by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission as a NYC landmark. East 66th also houses the Seventh Regiment Armory or the Park Avenue Armory which is run as a non profit organization and is a venue for major art and antique fairs in NYC.
The street also hosts several commercial businesses like branches of major banks( TD bank at 66 street and third avenue), coffee shops – the popular Alice’s Tea Cup II is located on E 66 between third and Lexington avenues, art galleries, restaurants, outlets of major retailers like Banana Republic, Gap, Coldwater Creek, Club Monaco, American Apparel, Sephora and many mote.

East 85th Street is a busy street located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. This street which extends from Carl Schurz Park on East End Avenue to Central Park on Fifth Avenue hosts a mix of commercial and residential establishments. The real estate scenario of this street features townhouses, low rise walk-ups which coexist with several amenity filled and luxurious condominium buildings. The street's newest builds include lavish properties like the Lucida which is located at 151, 85th Street at Lexington Avenue and is touted to be New York's 1st LEED Certified Green Condominium and the Georgica which is located on 305, 85th Street on third avenue.
Aside from residential properties, 85th Street hosts a large outpost of the US post called the Gracie Post Office which is located between second and third avenues and is usually my go to post office of choice especially on tax day i.e. 15th April as it is large enough to accommodate the laggards. Also located on this street are several bank branches including the one I bank at as well as many great restaurants like Jacques Brasserie between Second and Third Avenue, Dean and Deluca at Madison Avenue, Andres Café between Second and Third Avenue, Panorama at 3rd Avenue and Energy Kitchen on 84th and 85th Street.

East 84th Street is in my opinion one of the prettiest streets on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. This street which extends from a cul de sac bordering Charles Schurz Park on East End Avenue to Central Park on Fifth Avenue, has a real estate landscape which is made up of tall rental buildings like the Strathmore on First Avenue and the Continental East Apartments, graceful pre-war properties like 7 Gracie Square and several low rise buildings along with numerous stately town houses that house both single and multi-family units.

Most of the town houses on East 84th Street date back to the early 20th Century or even earlier but there is one renovated townhouse that is located between East End Avenue and York Avenue which counts as my favorite building of the locality as its owner has gut renovated it and given it a total modern look with a tall glass fronted façade- not the best idea if you value your privacy but great if you want to show off your contemporary art collection to all and sundry.

Additionally East 84th Street also hosts the Chapin School which is located at 100 East End Avenue and is widely regarded as one of the top private schools for girls in the city. As for dining options East 84th Street like many of its siblings hosts several neighborhood restaurants like Yorkville Creperie at York Avenue, Hummus Kitchen at Second Avenue, Italianissimo-Ristorante between First and Second Avenue that cater to the needs of the residents who wish to dine within the neighborhood rather than venture out to other parts of the city.

East 72nd Street
It’s the money honey
East 72nd Street is a main arterial street of the Upper East Side. This street extends from East End Avenue to Central Park. East 72nd Street then transforms into the East 72nd Street Transverse Road through the park and continues on to the west side as West 72nd Street. One of the main land marks of East 72nd Street is the huge building on York Avenue that hosts the world headquarters of the renowned Sotheby’s Auction House.
The rest of the street is populated by a mix of pre and post war construction that includes luxurious condominium buildings like The Oxford, the Belaire,( which was the site of a plane crash in 2006 when a small passenger plane went into the building and killed its occupants baseball player Cory Lidle and his co-pilot/flight instructor along with injuring several people on the ground) One East River Place and Miraval Living, a full service building that is a favored spot for pied-a-terres as it offers various amenities like a fitness center, a pool, a café, a spa and a private 20,000-square-foot park.
East 72nd Street is served by the M72 cross town bus which is quite a boon for residents as the nearest subway station 9which is served by the number 6 local train) is located a few blocks away on 68th Street and Lexington Avenue at Hunter College. Though if you are a resident on this street it is generally believed that you are probably affluent enough to afford a cab, a car or even car service.
72nd Street offers a few neighborhood dining options like the 72nd Street Deli,Cafe Greco and Cafe Mingala amongst others along with good shopping options like a Talbots store, a Bath and Body Works Store, a Runners World Store and the flag ship Ralph Lauren Store that occupies the grand Rhinelander Mansion on 867 Madison Avenue. East 72nd Street also hosts a multi-screen AMC Loews Cinema which is one of the main sources of entertainment on this street

East 78th Street is an exceptionally pretty street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that I love walking on. This street which is an access street to the 77th Street subway station extends from East River Drive to Central Park and offers a real estate mix of condos, pre war co-ops and historic townhouses. In fact the street hosts the East 78th Street houses which are a row of identical brick attached houses that date back to the late 19th century. These houses which are five in number are the remnants of a row of eleven town houses which were originally built during the period. These historic and gorgeous townhouses are situated between Lexington and Third Avenues and are today worth millions.

East 78th Street also hosts several commercial establishments like doctor’s offices which are generally located on the ground/basement floors of the various condo or co-op builders, brokers offices and restaurants like Bandol Bistro ( a pretty French restaurant that serves Provencal cuisine), Lusardis, Lenox Hill Grill and Lenox Hill Pizza which cater to the needs of the folk who work at the Lenox Hill Hospital close by and gourmet dessert shops like Lady M confections which is located between Park and Madison Avenues and the renowned French chocolate store, La Maison du Chocolat which is located at Madison Avenue and 78th Street.

East 75th Street stretches eastwards from the East River Drive to Central Park. This street hosts a huge Con Ed Steam generating plant on York Avenue (505 East 75 Street) which is easily identified by its three 80 feet tall steam generators.
Also located on York Avenue and 75th Street is Lycée français de New York (LFNY) or the French International School of New York which is favored by French Expats in NYC, celebrities ( it is rumored that Lourdes , the daughter of Madonna studies at the Lycee along with children belonging to the Jolie-Pitt brood) and those New Yorkers who want their off-spring to grow up to be bilingual.
The real estate mix of East 75th Street is dominated by pre-war co-ops, spectacular townhouses and luxury condominium buildings. The street also houses the Whitney Museum of American Art which is located at 945 Madison Avenue and is commonly referred to as ‘the Whitney’. This museum which hosts a magnificent collection of contemporary art will however be soon relocating to the Meatpacking district in downtown Manhattan after having spent more than 40 years on the Upper East Side. The museum’s board believes that the future downtown location of the museum will help it attract a younger audience who don’t usually frequent the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
East 75th Street also hosts some great restaurants like the legendary Orsay at Lexington Avenue, Baraonda( a popular party spot) on Second Avenue and Per Lei located next door.

East 76th Street extends from John Jay Park which kisses the East River Drive to Central Park and Fifth Avenue. This typical Upper East Side Street offers a real estate landscape that is littered with historic pre-war co-op buildings, magnificent townhouses and relatively newer luxury condominium buildings like the Impala which is located on First Avenue and the Promenade Apartments located near York Avenue.

Also located on 76th Street is the 980 Madison Avenue building which is known as the Carlyle Galleries that houses the Parke-Bernet auction house along with art galleries like the Gagosian gallery. This building was recently bought by famed developer Aby Rosen who has since then wanted to redevelop it by adding floors to the building and utilizing the ‘air rights’. Rosen has also brought in world famous architect Lord Norman Foster for the effort.

However this proposed redevelopment which was initially going to add 22 floors to the building has caused a lot of controversy and has evoked massive protests as 980 Madison Avenue building lies within the Upper East Side Historic District and the Madison Avenue Preservation Special District, which limits the height of new buildings to 210 feet. Moreover in addition to violating the norms of the neighborhood it is believed that this redevelopment will block the vistas offered by the legendary Carlyle Hotel located nearby as well as alter the character of the neighborhood but in spite of all this vociferous opposition the Landmarks Preservation Commission seems to have recently given the developer the go-ahead for a modified version of the redevelopment plans.

Other prominent buildings located on 76th Street include the Surrey Hotel, a luxury boutique hotel which has housed famous guests like JFK, Bette Davis. Claudette Colbert down the years and which today houses the popular restaurant Café Boulud which belongs to the David Boulud stable of restaurants, the Hewitt School for Girls( a private school), the MS 167, Robert F. Wagner Middle School,( public school) and the gorgeous St Jean the Baptiste Catholic Church on Lexington Avenue.

East 80th Street extends eastwards from East End Avenue until Fifth Avenue and Central Park. This street like many other streets of the Upper East Side features a real estate landscape of historic pre-war co-op buildings, condominiums that feature luxury and rentals and stunning, expensive townhouses (especially the 80th Street houses which are a row of attached townhouses that are situated between Lexington Avenue and Park Avenue).

80 th street which is a mixed use street also hosts many commercial and educational establishments like an outpost of the City University of New York, the Caedmon Montessori School, The York Avenue Preschool, An Enterprise car rental outlet, parking garages and popular restaurants like the Divino wine bar and restaurant, Brasserie Julien, Cascabel Taqueria, H&H Midtown Bagels East and Le Rendezvous Wine Bar. In fact Le Rendezvous Wine Bar ranks as one of my favorite bars in the city for its friendly service and great selection of wines from around the world. So happy that there such an elegant but casual, adult place like this my neck of the woods which otherwise offers a preponderance of loud, frat bars which offer barrels of beer, live sports telecasts and sickeningly sweet, weird colored cocktails. Also located on the junction of East 80th Street and Second Avenue is the Lester's clothing store whose stocks of apparel are especially popular with pre-teens and tweens.
The M79 which is one of main transport options of the Upper East Side has its last stop on East 80th Street.

East 77th Street on the Upper East hosts a valuable chapter of New York City’s history. This street stretches from John Jay Park (which houses the only public access swimming pool of the area) that borders the FDR to Central Park and Fifth Avenue. 77th Street is also home to the historic Cherokee Place which lies between John Jay Park and York Avenue. Cherokee Place hosts a complex of four low rise buildings which have a definite European air, adorned as they are with wrought iron balconies, central courtyards and floor to ceiling windows.

These buildings of Cherokee Place were built in the early 20th century and were christened as the Shively Sanitary Tenements for they were meant to house poor New Yorkers who were suffering from the deadly white plague -tuberculosis. The money for the complex was put up by Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt as at that time it was believed the only treatment for TB was fresh air and light and the location of the apartments near the East River was thought to be ideal. Moreover the wrought iron balconies that were built for the apartments were not merely ornamental for they served an important purpose as they encouraged and enabled the sick to enjoy the outdoors quite easily. However soon after these apartments were built in 1912, they were declared a failure as rents were too high for the poor, TB stricken New Yorkers. Today the buildings of this gorgeous complex have been converted into co-op apartments which are highly coveted in New York City.
My husband and I actually looked at buying one of these Cherokee place apartments but were deterred by the fact that buildings are six floor walk ups which don't have facilities like a gym and doorman service that our apartment building which is located in the vicinity offers.

East 77th Street continues eastwards from York Avenue and hosts a mixture of gorgeous townhouses, condominiums and luxurious co-op buildings along with other prominent buildings and establishments of the neighborhood like the Lenox Hill Hospital at Lexington Avenue, the Housing Works Thrift Shop at Third Avenue and The Birch Wathen Lenox School which is located between Second and Third Avenues. 77th Street also hosts a wide array of dining establishments like Sant Ambroeus, Vero, Vermicelli, Café Buon Gusto, Le Pain Qoutidien, Bar Italia and Mxco along with the popular gourmet marketplace, Butterfield Market which is located on Lexington Avenue.

East 83rd Street is another quiet, tree lined street of the Upper East Side that is home to prominent fixtures like the Brearley School for girls which is located on East End Avenue and is often regarded as one of the best private schools in the city.
This street which extends from East End Avenue to Fifth Avenue is populated with stunning townhouses, co-ops, luxury condos and walkups and is essentially residential in character. However East 83rd Street does host many commercial establishments as well like the iconic Lexington Candy Shop which is an old world diner located on 83rd Street and Lexington Avenue which continues to serve retro eats like ice-cream sodas, frosted malts and other typical diner eats and is renowned for its window display of Coca Cola bottles sourced from around the world. Also located on East 83rd Street( at Third Avenue) is Soul Cycle which is the Upper East Side outlet of the immensely popular and trendy spinning studio.
Other popular establishments located on 83rd Street include restaurants like Nica Trattoria and Erminia Italian Restaurant which are choice locations for romantic dinners on the Upper East Side and the Tony’s di Napoli restaurant which serves gargantuan portions and thus is a big hit with families.

East 82nd Street extends from East End Avenue to Fifth Avenue, where it hosts the magnificent Metropolitan Museum of Art which is affectionately referred to as ‘the Met’ by New Yorkers. This street which is essentially residential in character is littered with walkups, condos and co-op buildings though this street also hosts some of the best schools in the city like P.S.290 or the Manhattan New School which is located between First and Second Avenues and is a highly ranked establishment that is a prominent fixture on this street.

82nd Street also hosts, the relatively unknown but also highly ranked St Stephen of Hungary Catholic school which is attached to the St Stephen Parish that is also located here between York and East End Avenues.
The St Stephens Greenmarket which is held during the summer months is yet another major landmark of East 82nd Street though the street also hosts many restaurants and bars like Brady’s Bar, Wasabi Lobby, Gina La Forinaria and Flex Mussels(an excellent seafood restaurant) which provide residents of the area with several diverse dining options.

East 81st Street is a quiet street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. This street which stretches from a cul de sac on East End Avenue all the way to Fifth Avenue is home to a mixture of townhouses, red brick co-ops and condominium buildings as well several old world walkups.
This largely residential street hosts a few commercial establishments like the historic Gracie Inn which is a bed and breakfast located on 81st Street and York Avenue, Sandro's which is a fantastic Italian restaurant that is located between First and Second Avenues as is Designer Resale Corp which is a popular designer consignment store and Alice’s Tea Cup Chapter II which is located on 81st Street between Second and Third Avenues and is an outpost of the popular tea salon chain .
Also located on 81st Street between Madison and Park Avenues is P.S.6 the Lillian Deveureaux Blake school which is reputed to be one of the finest public elementary schools in the city that is but naturally highly coveted by the residents in the area even though most of them can afford to 'go private' for their children.
Such is the quiet allure of East 81st street that pop singer/actor Madonna has recently invested in a townhouse on the street at 152, 81st Street which she is currently converting into a mansion by undertaking extensive renovations and adding a floor for the necessary celebrity accouterments like a gym, a hair salon luggage closet, and a wine cellar

Elmhurst in Western Queens is another ethnically diverse neighborhood that attracts me for its myriad shopping and dining options. Elmhurst has its northern boundary Jackson Heights and Roosevelt Avenue and Queen’s Boulevard as its limit on the south while Corona at Junction Avenue and Woodside Avenue, form its Eastern and Western limits.
Elmurst which is populated by detached wood frame multi-family houses and brick co-op apartments is home to a diverse population that is made up of Asian, Latin Americans Italian and Jewish folk. The main commercial drags of the neighborhood are located along Broadway, Whitney Avenue and Queens Boulevard. This largely ethnic working class neighborhood is well connected to midtown Manhattan via the G, 7, E, R, V subway lines and the travel time to midtown is usually 20-25 minutes.
As Elmhurst is home to an ethnically diverse population it is renowned for its fantastic restaurants like the Malaysian- Singaporean joint, Taste Good that provides cheap but delicious Singaporean fare and also caters for functions at the Singaporean consulate in Manhattan. Yet another great Elmhurst restaurant is Mie Jakarta which is a home-style Indonesian joint on Whitney Avenue that serves up great Indonesian fare like Nasi Campur and Mie komplit.
The neighborhood is also populated with many great ethnic grocery stores( the huge Hong Kong Supermarket which retails some of the freshest fruit in the city and also stocks Thai sweets made of sago) though it also offers much mid-range retail at its two big malls, Queen’s Plaza Mall and Queen’s Center Mall at Queen’s Boulevard.

I tend to visit the neighborhood of Jamaica Estates when I visit my friends who live in the neighborhood of New Hyde Park in Long Island which is located close by. Jamaica Estates is located on the last stop of the F train from Manhattan at the 179th street and we usually get the subway from Manhattan to get to this stop, after which our friends come and get us and drive us to their home.
Jamaica Estates is bounded by the main highway of the Union Turnpike to the north and it has Hillside Avenue as its Southern Boundary though the area around the subway station is downright grotty(unpleasant) as drunks and layabouts seem to hang out there perennially. Hillside Avenue which is home to yet another Little India of NYC is populated by several South Asian restaurants, sweet shops and salons which offer reasonable beauty services.
The neighborhood of Jamaica Estates has much history associated with it as it was developed in the early 1920s as an enclave for wealthy New Yorkers. Tudor-style homes which were built during this time continue to dominate the real estate scenario of this neighborhood which has a typical suburban feel with clean, tidy streets and well tended front-yards.
Jamaica Estates also offers good schooling options as it is home to several well regarded public, charter and private schools like P.S. 131 Abigail Adams, P.S.86, P.S.95 Eastwood, P.S. Is 268, Jamaica High School, Merrick Academy- Queens Public Charter School and the Queens outpost of the United Nations International School which is located on Croydon Road.
Aside from the F train which serves stations at 179th Street and 169th street, the neighborhood is also served by Queens buses and express buses which are used by commuters who need to travel to Midtown Manhattan everyday though if you are planning to live in Jamaica Estates you would most likely have to invest in a car to get around.

The neighborhood of Woodside which is located near Sunnyside in Western Queens is another multicultural neighborhood which is home to diverse immigrant population. It is believed that 49 nationalities call Woodside home though the area was initially overwhelmingly Irish in character and does continue to host a whole bunch of raucous Irish pubs which are concentrated around 61st street and Roosevelt Avenue. In recent years however Woodside has come to host various Asian populations and the neighborhood now has a significant Filipino population. So much so that Woodside now hosts an outlet of the popular Filipino fast food chain, Jollibee which is yet to be found in other parts of the city
Woodside like its neighbor Sunnyside is favored for its proximity to Midtown Manhattan, low crime, affordability and good schooling options. The neighborhood is also well served by the number 7, R, V trains of the New York City subway as well as the LIRR which makes a stop at Shea Stadium. MTA buses like the Q32, Q18 and Q53 also serve the neighborhood which is favored by young professionals who are priced out of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The main reason I choose to head to Woodside is for to partake of its many excellent ethnic restaurants. The neighborhood hosts one of the best Thai restaurants in the city- Sripraphai which is located on 39th Avenue near 64th Street and serves some of the spiciest and most authentic Thai food in the city. Other good restaurants in the neighborhood include Spicy Mina which serves Bangladeshi food and El Sitio which serves home-style Cuban food.

Sunnyside is a safe, affordable and quiet neighborhood that is located in western Queens. This neighborhood was established after the building of the Queensboro Bridge in the early 20th century. Sunnyside is easily accessible from Manhattan via a 15 minute ride on the number 7 subway trains which serves the neighborhood at the 33rd and 40th street stations.
The boundaries of Sunnyside are loosely defined as the Long Island Expressway which lies to the South of the neighborhood, the New Cavalry Cemetery which lies to the east, the Sunnyside shipyards which lie to the north and the western side of the neighborhood and Northern Boulevard. The busy Queen’s Boulevard traverses the length of the neighborhood which is dominated by low rise red brick apartment buildings which are a combination of co-ops and condos. The defining landmark of the neighborhood is the kitschy Sunnyside arch which is located at 46th Street and Queen’s Boulevard and welcomes visitors to Sunnyside.
However the neighborhood also encompasses the mini-neighborhood of Sunnyside gardens which was developed in 1924 and was influenced by the garden movement. This seven block enclave of Sunnyside gardens is populated by single and multi-family homes which have small individual gardens with shared interior courtyards. The neighborhood which has a distinct suburban feel to it and it is also home to the verdant Sunnyside park which like Manhattan's Gramercy Park is accessible only by residents of the area. However unlike Gramercy Park Sunnyside Park offers affordable membership to people who are not residents of the area. The Park offers facilities like
a grass playing field, basketball courts, swing and sand play areas for small children, a bocce court and a wading pool and picnic areas.
Sunnyside was initially settled by Irish immigrants but today it is a multicultural neighborhood that is is home to various diverse immigrant communities like the Armenians, Romanians, Indians, Bangladeshis, Chinese, Koreans, Colombians, and Ecuadorans. This multi-cultural character of the neighborhood is also reflected in dining scene that offered by the neighborhood which is populated by some good Korean, Peruvian, Irish, Turkish, Italian and Mexican restaurants.
Another notable aspect of Sunnyside is its annual all inclusive St Pat’s for all Parade which is the only NYC parade that welcomes gays and lesbians from the Irish community to take part in the festivities.

Most tourists are extremely familiar with the Chinatown in Manhattan but New York City is in fact home to several other Chinatowns and Main Street in downtown Flushing , Queens is one such neighborhood that can also wear the crown of Chinatown in New York City for the area is home to a substantial number of Far East Asian populations especially the Chinese and the Koreans.

Like Manhattan’s Chinatown Main Street, Flushing hosts countless Chinese restaurants, grocery stores, bubble tea shops, Chinese bakeries, bookstores and herbalist stores and more. Main Street, Flushing which is the last stop on the number 7 line of the New York City subway line is a bustling, perennially busy neighborhood which is also served by the LIRR and several public buses that serve the borough of Queens.

The real estate scenario in Flushing is a mixture of old co-ops and condo buildings as well as single and multi-family homes and the neighborhood also offers some great shopping opportunities as it is home to several mainstream stores like Old Navy, Macy’s and the Flushing Mall which is located at Prince Street and is populated by many small stores and restaurants.

Aside from being a major transportation and shopping destination in New York City, Flushing is also well known as the home of major Hindu temples and religious centers like the Ganesh Temple ( the Hindu Temple society of North America), the Hindu Center and the Om Sai Mandir.

Central Park is New York City’s iconic patch of green which is located in the heart of Manhattan. This green lung extends from 59th Street to 110th Street from Eighth Avenue to Fifth Avenue. The park has several entrances at Columbus Circle, at East59th Street, at East 79th Street etc. The Park also has traverse roads at 65th, 79th, 86th and 96th streets which connect the West Side to the East Side and vice-versa.

The real estate that surrounds Central Park constitutes some of the most, exclusive and expensive real estate in Manhattan. On the East side towards the south end of the park, the neighborhood is littered with luxurious hotels like the Plaza and the Pierre both of which offer expensive residences as well as hotel accommodation. Also located within the neighborhood are some of the bastions of high end retail in Manhattan like the Bergdorf Goodman store, The FAO Schwartz Children’s store and the glass cube which contains one NYC’s most famous and heavily tourist trafficked Apple stores. As you head along the park on the East side ,the Park is bordered by elegant co-op buildings which have spacious apartments that house some of the city’s most prominent and moneyed residents like ex-NY state governor Eliot Spitzer.

Also located within this neighborhood are some of NYC’s world renowned museums, The Museum of Metropolitan Art (the Met), The Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, The Frick Collection, El Museo del Bario, The Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Museum of the City of New York etc. Many of these museums are concentrated along a stretch of Fifth Avenue which stretches from 82nd Street to 105th which is commonly referred to as Museum Mile.
The stretch of Fifth Avenue which borders the park is well served by the city’s public buses like the M1, M2, M3 and the cross town buses like the M66, M72, M79, M96 and M106.

On the west side of the Park on 59th Street lies Columbus Circle which is home to mixed use Time Warner Center which has within in upscale retail, dining ( the renowned Per Se restaurant) and accommodation options( high end condominiums and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel). North of Columbus Circle is area known as Central Park West. This highly coveted neighborhood has the American Museum of Natural History located within it as well as some of New York City’s most high profile real estate in the form of buildings like the Dakota which was home to the Beatle John Lennon, 15 Central Park West which is home to Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein and the stately Beresford building which houses Vikram Pandit the current CEO of the Citigroup.

East Harlem which is also popularly known as El Barrio or Spanish Harlem extends from 96th street to 125th street from Fifth Avenue to the East River. The area is called Spanish Harlem for it is one of the city’s largest Hispanic enclaves. The real estate scenario of this area is made up of row houses, pre-war and post war co-op buildings that house relatively large one and two bedroom apartments as well as old time tenement buildings and low income housing projects.
During the real estate boom years, this area which is chock a block with discount stores, bodegas, mom and pop supply stores and beauty salons also saw much hectic construction activity as new luxurious condos like 1200 Fifth Avenue, Aura (330, East 109th Street) and Observatory Place condo on First avenue and 104th street were constructed to primarily target those home owners who were priced out of the downtown Manhattan. However the recession has now slowed sales in these luxurious developments though the neighborhood continues to evolve. In fact the neighborhood has recently acquired a brand new huge retail development in the form of the East River Plaza mall which hugs the FDR drive on 116th street and has within its massive bowels Manhattan’s first Costco. Other big retailers set to occupy the Plaza include Best Buy, Marshall’s and Manhattan’s first Target store.
The star attraction of the area is however the El Museo del Barrio museum which is located on Fifth Avenue and 105th Streets which is New York City’s leading Latino Cultural institution which is included in the list of Museum mile museums. The rough and tumble neighborhood actually has many great restaurants like the original Patsy’s Pizzeria which opened in 1933 on 118 th street and first avenue and the iconic Rao’s restaurant which is located on 114th Street and Pleasant Avenue which was founded in 1896. Other popular restaurants include ethnic food eateries like Sister Caribbean Cuisine on 124th Street and Madison Avenue, One Fish Two Fish on 97th Street and Madison Avenue and the Moustache Restaurant on 102nd Street and Lexington Avenue.

The neighborhood of Riverdale which is located at the northernmost tip of the Bronx is a community which has a suburban feel though it is located within close proximity to Manhattan. The boundaries of Riverdale are largely defined by the city of Yonkers which lies to its north, the Harlem River which flows on its southern border and the Hudson River which frames it to the west and the expansive Van Cortlandt Park which forms its eastern border. (Riverdale extends roughly from W240 Street to W262 Street). This largely middle class neighborhood has within its folds three elite New York private schools, Horace Mann, Riverdale Country and Fieldston though also located within Riverdale is the renowned NYC public school, the Bronx High School of Science.
The main shopping districts in Riverdale are located along Mosholu, Riverdale and Johnson Avenues which are dominated by small mom and pop stores, Irish bars, and Italian and Japanese restaurants like Beccofino, Palace of Japan, and Salvatore’s of Soho. Though other popular eateries located here include dinner spots like the Riverdale Steak House and the Riverdale City Grill.
Riverdale is also known for its green lung for the neighborhood has within it the gorgeous Wave Hill public gardens which are located on 252nd Street and provide stunning vistas of the Hudson River and the Palisades. These historic gardens offer flower and aquatic gardens as well as a woodland trail as their main attractions. The eastern front of Riverdale is occupied by the large Van Cortlandt Park which offers organized sports and horseback riding as well as hiking trails and an oak forest. The Riverdale Park is smaller piece of heaven in the neighborhood which overlooks the Hudson River and is located on 254th Street. Riverdale is connected to Manhattan via the Metro-North Hudson Line and the No. 1 train that travels along Broadway and terminates at the 242nd Street Van Cortlandt Park Station

Manhattan Valley is small neighborhood which is located immediately north of the Upper West Side. The boundaries of Manhattan Valley extend from 96th street in the south to 110th Street in the north. The neighborhood occupies the area that lies between Central Park West and Broadway and is populated by both condo and co-op buildings as well as brownstones and townhouses. Since the area is located quite close to Columbia University it is favored by students and faculty alike.
Manhattan Valley which started out as a working class neighborhood is now slowly being ‘gentrified’ for the neighborhood now has its own outlet of the upscale Whole Foods Market at Columbus Avenue between 97th and 100th Streets. The neighborhood in fact is quite self sufficient as it has quite a wide array of diverse bars and restaurants that are mostly concentrated along Broadway and Amsterdam Avenues. Some of the popular eateries located within the neighborhood include Mama Mexico, Angan, Thai Market, Voza and , Regional along with dive bars and live music venues like Ding Dong Lounge, the Village Pour house and the Underground Lounge.
The neighborhood is quite well served by New York City’s public transport as it hosts the # 1, 2,3 A, C, B and D trains along with the M96, M116, M104, M11, M10 and M7 MTA buses.

NoHo is yet another acronym for the term ‘North of Houston’. This small neighborhood which is located in the midst of Lower Manhattan is extremely popular with professionals, celebrities, artists and writers who enjoy the easy accessibility it offers to other ‘trendy’ neighborhoods of New York City like the East and West Village. Noho is bounded by Houston Street to the south, Bowery and Third Avenue to the East, Broadway to the West and East 8th street to the North.
The real estate landscape of this neighborhood features the much coveted and generally very expensive airy lofts, 19th century historic townhouses and low pre-war buildings though in recent times the neighborhood has also witnessed the construction of glitzy condominium buildings especially along Bond Street . In fact Bond Street is known in real estate circles as ‘condo row’ as it is home to several luxurious buildings like 40 Bond Street, 25 Bond and 48 Bond Street.
Aside from residential buildings the area is also populated by swanky shops and restaurants like Chinatown Brasserie, BondStreet Sushi, Mercat and the perennially popular café Noho Star. Some of the trendy stores located in Noho include the New York outpost of the Florentine fragrance and beauty company Santa Maria Novella, the renowned vintage store Screaming Mimis and the clothing and accessories store which belongs to Patricia Field , the NYC stylist responsible for creating ‘the looks’ on SATC a.k.a Sex and the City.

Madison Square which is located within the Flatiron District in Manhattan has a rich history associated with it. This area was originally designated as a public space with the creation of Madison Square Park between 23rd and 26th streets and Fifth and Madison avenues in the mid-19th century. The area around the park was essentially a residential area at that time which soon began to be populated with several commercial establishments and shops. In fact the area of Broadway that lies between Madison Square and Union Square was once known as Ladies’ Mile as it was filled with retailers who specialized in women’s wear.
Today the area continues to be a mixed use neighborhood which has within it various kinds of retail establishments as well as offices of advertising agencies, publishing houses, web- based companies, hotels and restaurants. The Madison Square area is also renowned for its many famous buildings like the landmark, beaux art Flatiron building which is located at 23rd street at the junction of Broadway and Fifth Avenue, the Metlife Tower which houses the offices of the Swiss bank Credit Suisse, the New York Life Insurance building and the luxury condominium building One Madison Park which is a 51 storey tower that houses expensive residences and is also known as ‘the Saya’. However the most famous landmark of this neighborhood is its verdant, statue filled Madison Square Park which until ten years ago was crime ridden and neglected but which today has been rejuvenated by the tireless efforts of the Madison Square Conservancy, a nonprofit organization which now is responsible for its upkeep.

NoLiTa which is an acronym for North of little Italy is located as its name suggests to the north of the tourist infested district of Little Italy. The boundaries of this small downtown Manhattan neighborhood extend from Houston Street in the north to Kenmare Street in the south and Broadway in the west to the Bowery in the east.
This neighborhood which was demarcated as a separate enclave in the late 1990s is today home to many young New York professionals who enjoy its relatively quiet streets which are populated by small, chic restaurants, stores and boutiques like Bread, Rice, Public, Mcnally Jackson Books, Café Gitane, BioNYC and Lord Willy’s.
The real estate landscape of NoLiTa is made up of 5-6 story pre-war walks and newer condo constructions and conversions like the Spring Street condominiums and the Candle Building on 11 Spring Street which was originally a 19th century carriage house which has now been converted into three extremely expensive, stylish condo properties.

Little Italy in Manhattan is located adjacent to the city’s vast Chinatown district. The boundaries of Little Italy are loosely defined as Canal Street to the South, Broome Street to the North, Baxter Street to the West and Elizabeth Street to the East. This area which was once home to the city’s large Italian population is now a major tourist attraction which is chock a block with rather mediocre and expensive ‘Italian’ restaurants whose pushy maitre d’s stand outside as they try to lure unsuspecting tourists in with their so-called ‘specials’.
Most of the neighborhoods’ restaurants like Il Cortille, Il Palazzo and Ferara Bakery and Café are located on its main drag of Mulberry Street, which is also populated by many stores that sell souvenirs, leather goods and various other knick knacks. This busy and bustling neighborhood which is always packed with tourists becomes the cynosure of all eyes during its annual San Gennaro festivities . During the festival which is usually celebrated every September , the streets of the area sport brightly colored decorations as they are pedestrianized for the event. At this time nearly 300 vendors descend on the area for the festival as they sell a wide array of goods like religious statues, jewelry, accessories clothing as well Italian delicacies like pepper and sausage sandwiches, zeppoles and gelatos from temporary stalls erected for the event. Carnival games, parades and live entertainment also feature in the celebrations of this festival which is known to attract more than 2 million visitors annually.

The Lenox Hill neighborhood extends from 60th street north to 77th Street and lies within the larger neighborhood of the Upper East Side in Manhattan. This neighborhood is one of the city’s most coveted and affluent neighborhoods, which is home to some of the wealthiest residents of the city. The eastern and western boundaries of this neighborhood are defined as Fifth Avenue and Lexington Avenue. The real estate mix in this area consists of apartment buildings which include both luxurious condos and pre-war co-ops as well as expensive townhouses and mansions.
Lenox Hill is named after a Scottish immigrant Robert Lenox who farmed 30 acres of the area in the early part of the 19th century. Today this neighborhood reeks of sophistication and elegance as it is populated by many chic restaurants and shops( Barneys, Fred Leighton, Prada, Dolce &Gabbana, Ralph Lauren) especially along Lexington and Madison Avenues. The neighborhoods also hosts several prominent cultural institutions within its boundaries like the Asia Society( 70th and 71st Street and Park Avenue), The Frick Collection( 70th Street and Fifth Avenue), The China Institute( 65th street between Park and Lexington Avenue) The Park Avenue Armory(66th Street between Park Avenue and Lexington Avenue)
and The Whitney Museum of American Art( 75th Street and Madison Avenue). Also located within the boundaries of this neighborhood is the Lenox Hill Hospital which was the former German Hospital that was renamed due to anti-German sentiment during World War I. The Lenox Hill neighborhood is well connected by public transport as it served by the number 4,5,6 , N,R,W trains which call at the 59th street and Lexington Avenue station though the number 6 train also makes stops at the 68th Street and 77th Street subway stations . Lenox Hill is also served by a plethora of public buses like the M101, M102, M103, M1, M2, M3, M4 as well as the M66 and M72 cross town buses.

Located north of the Upper West Side of Manhattan is the yet to be completely ‘gentrified’ neighborhood of Hamilton Heights which extends north from West 123rd Street to West 155th Streets and east from River Side drive to Edgecombe Avenue and Nicholas Avenues. The neighborhood is named after Alexander Hamilton who was an economist and the first treasury secretary of the United States. His home is now a museum in St Nicholas Park located on 141st Street within the neighborhood.
The real estate landscape of this neighborhood which is largely inhabited by students, young families and young professionals who have been priced out on Manhattan is made up of Romanesque and beaux arts fixer upper townhouses which are located along a section of the neighborhood known as ‘Strivers Row’. This three row stretch of townhouses is concentrated between West 138th and West 139th streets between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and Frederick Douglass Boulevard though the neighborhood also has several as pre-war apartment buildings which house relatively large apartments.
In the late 1920’s, Hamilton Heights attracted several wealthy African-Americans and the area where they were concentrated between Amsterdam and Edgecombe Avenues from W 145th street to W 155th street came to be known as Sugar Hill,” after the lifestyle that they pursued. Notable residents of the area at that time included luminaries like jazz great Duke Ellington, eminent Jurist Thurgood Marshall and several other African- American middleclass professionals and civic leaders.
Hamilton Heights which is served by the express A and D and the local B, C, 1 and 9 subway lines is also home to several other cultural hubs like the City College, the Harlem School of the Arts, the Jackie Robinson’s Conservatory, and the Riverbank State Park. The neighborhood in recent years has also witnessed much construction and condo conversion activity in the form of spanking new condos like Hamilton Lofts at 117 Edgecombe Avenue and Aqueduct Court on West 152nd Street which were built to lure young professionals up from Midtown Manhattan which can be easily accessed via 15 minute ride on one of the two express lines that serve the area. However the recession has stalled the upward march of this area which unfortunately also continues to experience relatively higher crime rates than other parts of the city.

The Gramercy Park neighborhood in Manhattan is a verdant, leafy enclave which has within its boundaries a private park –the Gramercy Park which is not usually accessible to the general public. This small slice of heaven can only be accessed by the residents of the many largely co-op apartment buildings and gorgeous historic townhouses that dot this quiet, safe neighborhood. Each of the residents of these buildings have their own key which gives them access to this exclusive park though keys are also given to guests who chose to stay at the area’s tony recently Ian Schrager refurbished Gramercy Park Hotel. The boundaries of the Gramercy Park neighborhood can be loosely defined as extending from 17th Street until 23rd street to the north and from Park Avenue South in the west to First Avenue.

The neighborhood has within it several historic buildings like Theodore Roosevelt’s Birth Place which is located at 28 East 20th Street, between Park Avenue South and Broadway and which has been declared a National Historic Site which is open to the public, the National Arts Club which is housed in the historic Tilden House at 15 Gramercy Park and is known for nurturing young artistic talent and The Players Club which was once strictly a men’s club for artists, writers, journalists and men of commerce but which now admits women as well. The Players Club is housed in a townhouse at 16 Gramercy Park. Also located within this lovely neighborhood is yet another historic edifice, the Inn at Irving Place which encompasses two townhouses and offers accommodation options for those New York City visitors who wish to experience a bit of old world New York

Stuyvesant Town or Stuy Town is a residential complex located in lower Manhattan. This complex along with its sister complex of Peter Cooper Village was planned during the time of the Second World War to accommodate middle income New Yorkers. These two complexes occupy a large area of lower Manhattan and extend from 14th Street to 23rd Streets from First Avenue to Avenue C in Alphabet City. Together they are composed of 56 residential buildings which house large apartments and are built in a fashion which is similar to low income housing developments. The only difference is that many of these buildings (which are declared to be eyesores by many New Yorkers) host hoardings that declare them to be ‘No Fee Apartments.’ Rentals here are exclusively managed by the leasing offices of the two complexes.
Both the complexes have parks and leafy alleyways within their boundaries and are served by many delis, supermarkets and restaurants which are largely located on their periphery. The complexes are also well connected by public transport as they are served by public buses like the M15, the M9 and the cross town buses like M14 and M23. They are also accessible by the L train which connects the complexes to the rest of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Initially these residential complexes which were owned by the Metlife Corporation housed middle income New York families of firemen, policemen, and teachers but in 2006 the Metlife Corporation sold the development to property developers Trishman- Speyer and the property arm of the BlackRock Investment group. These two entities believed that the burgeoning demand for real estate in Manhattan would enable them to convert these rent stabilized apartments into market rent apartments by pricing out the original tenants. However the ongoing recession put paid to their plans and in January 2010 they gave up control of these properties to their creditors. Currently the tenants of these complexes can continue to remain in their rent stabilized apartments for about another five to six years until the real estate benefits granted to the complexes by the city of New York expire.

Kips Bay is a neighborhood located on the east side of Manhattan. This neighborhood lies between Lower Manhattan and Midtown Manhattan and its boundaries are generally considered to extend from 23rd Street to 34th Street from Lexington Avenue to the East River and it is bordered by other neighborhoods of Murray Hill and Gramercy Park. This neighborhood can be best described as a mixed use neighborhood as it is home to several commercial and residential buildings.
One of the most prominent residential developments located here between 30th and 33rd Streets is the Kips Bay Towers block which is made up of two buildings. This complex was designed in the early 1960’s by renowned architect I.M.Pei and has 1118 apartments along with a three acre private garden for residents. The neighborhood also has a mini-mall in the form of the Kips Bay Plaza which is located between 30th and 33rd Streets on Second Avenue which has cinemas, stores, restaurants and a fitness facility. The neighborhood is also home to several hospitals and medical instruction centers like the Tisch School of the Arts, NYU College of Dentistry, NYU School of Medicine, Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Bellevue Hospital Center teaching hospital which are all located along First Avenue. The neighborhood is also well served by international schools like the United Nations International School which is located on a pier facing the East River and the British International School which is locate on Waterside Plaza . Other schools located in Kips Bay include the Churchill School for Learning disabilities and the Public school P.S.116. Kips Bay is well served by New York’s public transport system and has buses like the M15, the M16 and the M34.

People all over the world aspire at least once their lives to visit or to live in New York City, which is often described as the ‘center of the universe.’ New York City (The Big Apple) has an aura all of its own which helps it attract the world’s best talent. A leader in the spheres of finance, fashion and media, New York City is a vibrant and energetic city where people work hard and party even harder.
New York City which is also known as ‘the city that never sleeps’ always appears to be busy and bustling as its inhabitants are always rushing around at a frantic pace. Nevertheless they almost always find time to stop and take in all the myriad forms of entertainment that it has to offer in the form of the many Broadway and off-Broadway shows that are staged at its numerous theatres, the various diverse restaurants that dot every neighborhood, the fantastic stores that offer almost every conceivable product ever produced, the art galleries and world famous museums and the many cultural institutions like the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall which provide a stage for various global artists.
New York City casts its spell on almost everybody that visits its shores so much so that once they succumb to its magic; they almost never want to leave this, the greatest city in the world.

New York City with its millions of restaurants is a city that caters to foodies. Being one myself, I am always on the lookout for new and interesting restaurants and some of my current favorites are located along a relatively quiet street in the East Village- East 10th Street.

East 10th Street extends from Fifth Avenue to Avenue D in the Alphabet City section of the East Village where it borders the famous Tomkins Square Park. This street like several other streets in the Village is lined with typical New York City walk ups and row townhouses but aside from these residential dwellings this street which I have nicknamed ‘grub street’ (especially the section of street between 2nd Avenue and Avenue A) is home to many fantastic restaurants which are owned and operated by innovative and adventurous New York City restaurateurs.

Some of my favorites that are located here include establishments like David Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar, the almost subterranean Italian restaurant, Dieci and the always satisfying Moustache restaurant which is renowned for its delicious Zattar bread.

If you have a sweet tooth then East 10th street is the place for you for located here are some of New York City's best desert places like Pastry Chef Jehangir Mehta’s Graffiti, the Italian coffee house Taralluci e Vino and the legendary Chikalicious desert bar which is known for its mouth watering confections.

The Flatiron District which named after its renowned triangular shaped, steel building which stands at the junction of Fifth Avenue and Broadway is commercial as well as residential district which is home to great shopping, dining, and the verdant Madison Square Park.

The Flatiron District which extends from 14th to 23rd street and has as its boundaries Park Avenue South and 6th Avenue is also home to New York City’s interior design district for located here are some of New York City’s premier home design stores like ABC Carpet and Home, Restoration Hardware, The Sliding Door Company, The Murphy Bed Center, the Home Depot and many more.
Residents of the Flatiron District also have a plethora of shopping options available to them at the many stores that line the Fifth and Sixth avenue area of the district like Ann Taylor, Innovation Luggage, Kate Spade, Barnes and Noble along with the treasure trove of nature’s goodies that are always available at the year round green market hosted at Union Square.

As for dining choices, they can also avail of a wide array of diverse cuisines at the area’s various excellent restaurants like Tabla(Indian fusion) Beppe ( Italian), Eleven Madison Park(New American), Markt ( Belgian) and ilili(Lebanese).
The Flatiron district may cover a relatively small area of Manhattan but it seems to pack quite a punch with the many great lifestyle choices that it offers.

Located on the Westside of Manhattan between the Garment district which is centered on 34th and Greenwich Village is the perennially ‘cool’ neighborhood of Chelsea which is home to numerous art galleries, eclectic restaurants and clubs, the gourmet Chelsea food market and the sporting hub of Chelsea Piers which is located between 17th and 23rd streets along the Hudson River and offers a whole host of sporting activities like golf, ice hockey, gymnastics, soccer, basketball and much more.

The real estate scenario in Chelsea features rows of charming brownstones as well as iconic buildings like the Hotel Chelsea which is located on 23rd street between 7th and 8th avenues. This hotel which has hosted several famous artists, musicians and writers like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and the Ramones through the ages is infamous for the 1978 murder of Nancy Spungen by Sid Vicious of the punk rock band, the Sex Pistols on its premises.
The Antiques Garage flea market is an indoor antiques market which is another popular attraction of Chelsea. This market which is held over two floors of a building located on 25th Street between 6th and 7th avenues has been a permanent feature of the neighborhood since 1994. It currently features more than 100 vendors who sell a wide array of products like prints, paintings, rugs, vintage accessories and clothing and silver knick-knacks.

Despite its reputation as a neighborhood of cool, Chelsea continues to be a favored abode of families as the neighborhood is home to some good schools like the P.S. 11 ( which has an indoor swimming pool and a gifted program)as well as colleges like F.I.T(New York’s premier fashion school) and the School of Visual Arts and many green spaces like the Hudson River Park and the newly inaugurated elevated Highline Park

The West Village which is located between 14th Street and Houston Street, from Seventh Avenue to the Hudson River is yet another coveted neighborhood in New York City. The West Village which is populated by several quiet tree lined streets is home to several historic townhouses and low-rise coops which count as some of the most expensive residences in the city.

The Village as it is popularly referred to, has always been the domain of writers, actors, intellectuals and students but now its residents also include professionals, Hollywood celebrities, and young families who relish in its quiet charm and decidedly European ambiance. Even though the West Village is essentially residential in character it has within its environs many restaurants, cute cafes, bookstores and various other shopping haunts.

Some of highly ranked restaurants of the West Village include establishments like the immensely popular British themed restaurants, A salt and Battery and the Spotted Pig, the Brazilian Casa, the New American gems Commerce and Perry Street and the Australian themed Kingswood.

Fifth Avenue which divides New York City into the Eastside and the Westside is one of the most famous streets in New York City as it offers some of the world’s best shopping and sight-seeing opportunities. Fifth Avenue starts off at Washington Square Park (located close by at 1, Fifth Avenue, is celebrated Chef Mario Batali’s excellent pizzeria called Otto which is fashioned on train station) and traverses the city as it continues upward until 142nd Street in Harlem.

Located along the length of Fifth Avenue are some of New York City’s most well known landmarks like the Empire State Building, St Patrick’s Cathedral, the stunning New York Public Library( which featured as Carrie Bradshaw’s wedding venue in SATC the movie), Rockefeller Center ,the Plaza Hotel, the Frick Collection and Central Park. As Fifth Avenue continues its route into the Upper East Side it is bordered by the residences of some of the wealthiest New Yorkers whose apartments and homes offer stunning views of ‘the Park’. Fifth Avenue from 82nd Street to 104th Street is known as Museum Mile for located along this stretch of Fifth Avenue are 11 world famous museums namely the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, El Museo del Bario , the Jewish Museum and the rest.

Fifth Avenue( especially in the 40’s and 50’s) which is touted to be the world’s most expensive street is also home to several upscale stores like Sak’s Fifth Avenue, Lord and Taylor (both of which are famous for their end of the year holiday displays), Tiffany &Co, Bergdorf Goodman, Bulgari, Harry Winston, Louis Vuitton, the Apple Store and many more though Fifth Avenue is also the city’s favorite destination for the numerous parades that it hosts every year.

Trendy Soho (south of Houston Street) is one of the most desirable neighborhoods in New York City. The boundaries of Soho are loosely defined so as to include the area that lies south of West Houston Street and north of Canal Street while its eastern and western limits are described as Lafayette Street and Sixth Avenue.

Soho is home to some of the city’s shops, bars and restaurants and it accordingly packed with hordes of tourists who want to experience a bit of classic New York City magic on the cobble stone streets of Soho. This is the main reason that I wouldn’t want to live in Soho though I do adore and appreciate the area’s many cast-iron fronted buildings which house huge super expensive loft apartments which are much coveted by celebrities, artists and all the other beautiful and affluent people of New York City.

Nevertheless I do enjoy going to Soho to browse and drop serious change at its many shops that line Broadway and its surrounding streets. My trips to Soho almost always include trips to stores like Topshop, Uniglo, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Muji, Pearl River Mart , the Moma Store and if I am in a mood for some serious retail therapy then also stores like Kirna Zabete and the flagship Longchamp store. When I am tired of shopping and need a rest I tend to take a break at the area’s many stylish cafés like Dean De Luca or Café Angelique which offer good coffee and scrumptious baked goods.

Soho like many other neighborhoods in New York City is renowned for its great dining and entertainment options as well and some of my favorite haunts in the area include establishments like Kittichai at the Thompson Hotel, the bar at the Soho Grand hotel and the fabulous Mercer Kitchen located within the stylish Mercer Hotel on Prince Street.

Lexington Avenue which is popularly referred to by New Yorkers as ‘Lex’ is one of main arteries of New York City. This east side avenue extends from east 21st street until east 131st street and is home to several shops, restaurants and various other commercial establishments.
Lexington Avenue hosts one of the most crowded and busy subway lines of the city, the green line which has the local no 6 train and the express 4 and 5 trains. Additionally this one way avenue on which traffic moves from north to south also hosts the M98, M101, M102 and M103 buses which link uptown to downtown.
All along its 5.5 mile length, Lexington Avenue plays host to numerous New York City institutions like the famous community center of the Upper East Side, the 92nd Street Y, the Lenox Hill Hospital, The Bloomingdales department store(59th and Lex), Hunter College ( 68th and Lex ), Hunter College School of Social Work(79th and Lex) and several business hotels like the W New York( 46th and Lex, popular for its Whiskey bar), the Roger Smith and the Radisson Lexington Hotel New York.
Lexington Avenue can be described as a commercial nerve center of New York City and though it also hosts residential buildings it is primarily favored by those folk who value the convenience that it offers over the constant traffic din.

The Williamsburg (Willyburg) neighborhood of Brooklyn which is located one stop away from Manhattan on the L train was initially the domain of city’s Hasidic Jewish community though over the years it came to be occupied by the city’s Puerto Rican, Dominican and Polish communities as well. Since the 1970’s however the neighborhood has increasingly been occupied by artists and beatniks who were forced out of the Lower East side due to its gentrification. This accounts for the bohemian ambiance that pervades the neighborhood especially around the ‘party central’ district of Bedford Avenue and Lorimer Street.

The boundaries of Williamsburg as it is known today are the East River, Greenpoint, Bushwick and Bedford Stuyvesant. The Williamsburg Bridge connects Williamsburg to Lower Manhattan though it is also accessible via the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. Grand Street divides Williamsburg into the north side and the south side. The north side of Williamsburg is a hub of artistic activity and the domain of hipsters as well as the Italian and Polish communities while the south side is home to the area’s Latin community.
The neighborhood of Williamsburg has in recent years witnessed much hectic construction activity as rezoning laws have allowed for the development of several high-rise luxury residences along the Greenpoint and North side waterfronts where once stood derelict industrial warehouses.

Vintage fashion stores like Vice Versa, Buffalo Exchange and Beacon’s Closet abound in Williamsburg keeping in tune with the neighborhood’s ‘boho’ vibe as do several art galleries like the Galapagos art space and the Black and White gallery which mainly display the work of local artists.
Bedford Avenue is the main entertainment hub of Williamsburg which populated by countless bars and restaurants of which perhaps the cultural institution of Pete’s Candy Store on Lorimer Street is the most famous. As far as restaurants go, Williamsburg’s most famous restaurant is the renowned Peter Luger steak house which is located on Broadway near Marcy Avenue.

The neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen which is also sometimes known as Clinton is located within the larger neighborhood of Midtown West and extends roughly from 34th Street to 57th Street from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River.

This neighborhood has historically be known for its gritty, rough and tumble character for it was initially home to the city’s Irish-American working class population. The character of the neighborhood underwent a transformation in the 1950’s when it began to be inhabited by Puerto Rican immigrants who clashed with the original inhabitants of the neighborhood. Today however Hell’s Kitchen has cleaned up somewhat as it is now home to several tall modern condominium buildings that house largely young professionals who work in the many office buildings of Midtown West and enjoy the convenience of walking to work. However many of the original residents of the neighborhood continue to reside in the older buildings of the neighborhood which are also home to actors and artists who ply their craft in the theater district located between 42nd and 54th Streets between 6th and 8th Avenues.

Located along the neighborhood’s main artery 8th avenue and extending into 9th avenue, is Hell’s Kitchen’s famous restaurant row which offers a smorgasbord of diverse cuisines. Many of the restaurants that are located here like Chez Josephine, Le Rivage and Lattanzi offer a prix-fixe pre-theatre dinner menus that are extremely popular with theater-goers. Though the area also has some other great restaurants which are worth trying like Taboon( Mediterranean) located at 10th Avenue and 52ndStreet, Sosa borella( Argentinean) located on 8th Avenue between 50th and 51st street and Bali Nusa Indah( Indonesian) located on 9th Avenue between 45th and 46th streets.

Hell’s Kitchen other claim to fame is that it is home to the largest urban permanent flea market in New York City which is held every weekend on 39th street between 9th and 10th avenues. This Hell's Kitchen Flea market features nearly 170 vendors who come from all over the tri-state area to hawk their wares. These vendors include antiques dealers; vintage housewares hawkers, local-produce stands, and street-food vendors.

The Ninth Avenue International Food Festival which is held on the weekend after Mother’s Day is a major food fest that is held in Hell’s Kitchen every year. This event in known to attract huge crowds from all over the city and beyond who enjoy coming to the festival to sample the wide array of diverse foods that it offers.

Bank Street is a quiet residential street which is located in New York City’s iconic Greenwich Village. This typical West Village Street which runs from West Street to Hudson Street and continues on to West 8th street is lined with expensive prewar co-op apartment buildings and historic townhouses many of which are populated by celebrities and other A–listers. At the junction Bank Street and Hudson Street is a small children’s playground which is popular with the residents of the area.
Being primarily a residential street, Bank Street has few commercial establishments like the excellent Thai restaurant, ‘Toons’ which is located on the corner of Bank Street and Bleecker Street and the highly overrated but extremely fashionable Waverley Inn. Luckily for the residents of Bank Street ,the many delights of Bleecker Street like the restaurants Café Angelique, the August Restaurant, the world famous Magnolia bakery and upscale stores like the Marc Jacobs store, the Ralph Lauren store, Intermix and Reiss are located right at their doorstep as Bank Street is also intersected by Bleecker Street.
Bank Street is well connected to the rest of the city as it is located just a few blocks away from two subway stations, one of which is located at 8th Avenue and 14th Street (which hosts the A, C, E and L trains) and the other which is located in party district of Christopher Street and Sheridan Square( host of the no.1 train).

Jackson Heights is an ethnically diverse and vibrant neighborhood located in the New York City borough of Queens. Jackson Heights is bounded by the Brooklyn Queens Expressway on the West, Junction Boulevard on the East, Roosevelt Avenue on the South and Northern Boulevard on the north.
Not only is Jackson Heights well known for its cultural diversity, it also has within its bowels, the historic Garden City district which stretches between Roosevelt Avenue and Northern Boulevard, from 76th to 88th Street. Developed in the 1920’s by Edward A MacDougall’s Queensboro Corporation, this area was part of the global Garden City movement.
Hence the Garden City district of Jackson Heights consists of many picturesque co-op buildings and homes which are exponents of various forms of architecture such as Romanesque, Neo- classical, and Tudor. Most of these buildings have well tended gardens some of which are the size of Gramercy Park . Additionally many of the buildings located here have typical English names like Buckingham Hall, Windsor, Carlton, and Warwick in keeping with the Garden City movement which had its origins in England.
The co-op apartments of these buildings are mostly ownership properties and access to the building's gardens is also restricted to the owners of the apartments. Once a year the gardens are thrown open to the public by the Jackson Heights Beautification group, a local organization committed to the upkeep and preservation of the district. There are sign boards on lamp posts located all along the Garden City district trail that point out the unique and noteworthy individual features of the various buildings.
Jackson Heights has over the decades has largely been inhabited by New York’s Latin American and South Asian communities though the district also is home to smaller Russian, Polish and Irish populations however today this historic Garden district is also becoming popular with young families and professionals who are being priced out of Manhattan.
The restaurants and stores which are located within Jackson Heights reflect the ethnic makeup of the locality. Along 74th street and Roosevelt Avenue are stores that cater to almost all the needs of the South Asian community of New York. Supermarkets like Patel Brothers, Apna Bazar, Sabzi Mandi carry vast varieties of South Asian spices, nuts, vegetables, frozen and prepared foods, toiletries and magazines and newspapers which are imported from the subcontinent.

Trade Fair on 37th Avenue caters to the Latin American community while New York Hap Chong Market which is a Korean Supermarket located on Broadway caters to the needs of the area’s Korean community. Along 73rd street is the little Bangladesh area of Jackson Heights which has stores that sell fruits, vegetables, condiments, spices, and ‘Halal’ meat. Near 72nd street and Broadway is the little Pakistan section of Jackson Heights which has some wonderful Pakistani restaurants like Shaheen and Kebab King which are famous for their succulent kebabs.

The Latino Flavor of the neighborhood can be experienced at restaurants such as Pio Pio which is located on Northern Boulevard and serves Peruvian cuisine, La Porteña which is located at 37th Avenue and serves typical Argentinean Fare. Other popular Latin American restaurants located here include joints like Novo and La Nueva.

Jackson Heights is also well equipped with great schooling opportunities and the district has within it a number of top ranked public, private and parochial schools. The Renaissance Charter School is an excellent school located within Jackson Heights while some of the other public schools that are located here like the P.S.69, P.S.2, I.S 230 and I.S 145 all offer gifted programs. The Garden School is a good private pre-K-12 school of the neighborhood while Saint Joan of Arc, Our Lady of Fatima and Blessed Sacrament are some of the good parochial schools that are also located here.

Jackson Heights is well served by a plethora of subway lines and bus routes. In fact six subway lines( E,F, R, V, G and 7 trains) come into the area’s main Jackson Heights station which is located at 74street and Roosevelt Avenue. The E and F trains which run express from this station provide convenient links with Manhattan while the G train runs local and connects the area with Brooklyn.

A Little India can today be found in almost every major western city and New York City is no exception, in fact it boasts of not one but two ‘Little India’ districts one of which is located along 37th Avenue and 74th Street in an area known as Jackson Heights in the borough of Queens. This area can be easily accessed from Manhattan and Brooklyn via a plethora of subway lines (E, F, G, R, V, 7) which come into the Roosevelt Avenue and Jackson Heights station.
The Little India located in Jackson Heights is populated by several stores and restaurants all of which cater to the diverse needs of the city’s South Asian populations and accordingly located here are several stores that retail 24 karat intricately carved gold ornaments which are generally favored by this community, unlocked GSM phones, VOIP phone cards and Bollywood CDs and DVDs, and colorful, heavily embellished saris and other native costumes. Also located along this street is the gargantuan Indian grocery store, Patel Brothers which sells a wide array of prepared foods, spices, fresh produce, sauces, curries which are sourced from India and elsewhere. Like any other ethnic area, Jackson Heights also has several Indian restaurants, like the Zagat rated but not very good Jackson Diner and Delhi Palace where you can sample some hearty Indian cuisine.

Some years ago I had the chance to spend a few months at cousin’s apartment that was located in Midtown on W38 Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. Though the apartment building ( The Atlas) was quite nice as it had many coveted amenities like a roof deck and a gym , the area of Midtown where it was situated was quite characterless dominated as it was by office buildings that housed showrooms of garment manufacturers, bead and bauble stores and beauty salons that offered waxing and threading services.
What I did however enjoy was the apartment’s proximity to the city’s 34th Street retail corridor and its ease of access to Midtown’s premier patch of green, Bryant Park. Bryant Park is an oasis of calm located in the heart of the perennially busy neighborhood of Midtown West . This park which has the largest patch of green after Central Park provides a welcome refuge away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the city.
In fact the park is a favorite of office goers who work in the various office buildings that surrounded and are located near the park as they enjoy kicking back in its lush green environs during their lunch hour or having an after-work drink at the park’s raucous open air bar at the Bryant Park Café.

Bryant Park which hosts New York City’s foremost fashion event, the New York Fashion Week twice a year is a center for much activity in Midtown for during the summer months when it is the choice location for concerts and movie screenings while in the winter months it offers free ice skating on 'The Pond' and a holiday market.

Moreover Bryant Park is also equipped with enough seating, free Wi-fi access and reasonably clean restrooms if you ever fancy working in the park on a beautiful New York summer’s day.

MacDougal Street which lies in the heart of Greenwich Village (between W8th and Prince Streets) is an exceptionally lively street which is favored hang out of the NYU student population and local foodies who enjoy the many cheap but delicious eats the street has to offer.
This street which stretches over nearly 6 blocks and has the celebrated Washington Square Park located on its southern corner hosts the dorms of the NYU law school as well as several trinket shops, tattoo parlors, restaurants and bars some of which are legendary like Café Wha which is known as a premier destination for live music in New York City.
Other popular musical enclaves on MacDougal include the La Lanterna Caffe which offers delectable deserts at its street level restaurant and live music in its subterranean lounge and the famed Blue Note Jazz club which is located close by on West 3rd Street. My personal favorite hang outs on MacDougal Street include Mamoun’s Falafel which is also reputed to be a New York City taxi driver haunt and the relatively upscale Minetta Tavern Restaurant which is housed in the 1950’s cafe which has been restored to its former glory by celebrated New York restaurateur Keith Mcnally of Balthazar and Pastis fame.
As a residential neighborhood, MacDougal Street is suitable for young students and creative folk who specially relish the neighborhood’s pulsating nightlife options and can be tolerant of the accompanying noise levels.

Park Avenue is one of Manhattan’s best known streets, which has featured in several Hollywood movies (79, Park Avenue). This two way thoroughfare which extends from 32nd street all the way until 132nd Street is one of the best streets to drive on if you want to get from uptown to downtown quickly as traffic constantly moves on this wide avenue and is rarely gridlocked.
Park Avenue in the 30’s is known as Park Avenue South and this section of the avenue has a distinct commercial feel as it is home several offices and banks like the investment bank Morgan Stanley. This commercial character of Park Avenue continues well into the fifties as the avenue hosts several iconic buildings of New York City like the Metlife building (the former PanAm building), the Hemsley Building, the gorgeous Grand Central Terminal which is one of the major transport hubs in the city and the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Also located along Park Avenue are the headquarters of several of the giants of corporate America like J.P.Morgan Chase (housed in a gargantuan glass fronted building at 270 Park Avenue), Blackstone, and Colgate Palmolive.
Towards the 60’s, Park Avenue becomes more residential as it is lined with grand co-op building on either side. Most of these buildings don’t have names and are identified simply by a number like 635 Park. These understated edifices house some of the largest, most luxurious and needless to add most expensive apartments in New York City which are occupied by some of New York City’s oldest and wealthiest families. Accordingly the upkeep of Park Avenue is quite impeccable and its central divider is punctuated with well maintained flower beds whose blooms change with the seasons.

Park Avenue which is considered to be one of the most prestigious addresses in Manhattan also plays host to the Asia Society and Museum which is located on 70th Street, the Seventh Regiment Armory which is located on 66th street and is used as a popular event space as well as car dealerships of luxurious and expensive cars, Mercedes Benz, Ferrari and Maserati.

Last year when I was traveling on a long haul flight out of JFK to Asia, I got talking to my seatmate, a portly gentleman who was also on his way to Asia for a six month sojourn. My seatmate went on to tell me that he was retired and since he could no longer bear the bitter New York City winters, he spent the months between October and April each year in Asia where the temperatures were comfortably warm during that period. He also went on to tell me that he owned an apartment in one of the new condominium buildings in the heart of Times Square which he sublet for the period that he was away. While he was relating all this I couldn’t help but wonder why had he decided to invest in an apartment that was located in the most tourist infested neighborhood of the city when he had the rest of the city and its many enchanting residential neighborhoods at his disposal?
Times Square according to me is strictly for tourists who are enthralled by its ‘bright lights big city feel’ illuminated as it is by hundreds of neon signs. This area which lies at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue extends from W42nd to W47th streets between Sixth and Eighth Avenues. It is home to several tall office buildings, mega stores (Toys R Us, Hershey) theaters, hotels, cheesy souvenir stores and several restaurants (Carmine’s, Ruby Foo’s) that serve mediocre fare at highly inflated prices.

Times Square features on every tourist’s ‘visit to the Big Apple map’ and as a result is one of the most heavily trafficked districts of New York City which seems perennially busy and congested. More so on the last day of the year when it becomes the epicenter of the city’s New Year’s Eve celebrations which are duly televised around the nation and the rest of the world.

The only saving grace of this intensely commercial area according to me is the fact that it is well connected to the rest of the city as it hosts a plethora of subway lines ( N, Q, R, W, S, 7, 1,2,3) at its Seventh Avenue and 42nd Street station. Additionally it also hosts several long distance bus services and the A, C, E, subway lines at its decidedly seedy Port Authority Bus Terminal which is located at 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue.

Located at the southernmost tip of Manhattan, is the Financial District which is almost synonymous with New York City for it has within its folds its very own ‘boulevard of dreams’ - Wall Street which is home to the New York and American Stock Exchanges.

Actually the Financial District is much more than the abode of wheeler dealers and power brokers, the area which extends from the West Side Highway to the East River and from the tip of Manhattan to Brooklyn Bridge and Park Place is also known as the birth place of New York City as it was the first area that was settled by the Dutch settlers who established a New Amsterdam in lower Manhattan in 1624. History continues to live on in the Financial District’s many quaint cobble stone streets and museums (Museum of American Finance, Museum of Jewish Heritage) and the area is also home to the magnificent Federal Hall National Monument, where George Washington took the oath of Presidency in 1789. The Financial District was especially devastated by the terrorist attacks of 9/11 which flattened its iconic World Trade Center buildings so much so that the site on which the towers stood is today one of most visited tourist attractions in New York City. In fact the area hosts several other attractions like the South Street Seaport which boasts of a network of shops, restaurants, bars and antique ships and the Century 21 discount designer department store located on Fulton Street which is especially popular with European tourists.

The Financial District which is currently being revitalized and rebuilt and is today home to several luxurious condominium buildings like The Setai, 99 John, 3, Hanover Square, and 20,Pine the collection as well as several upscale restaurants like Sho Shaun Hergatt, Delmonico’s Steak house, Harry’s Steak , Trinity Place and Les Halles which ensure that the area continues to be busy and buzzing long after the traders and office folk have gone home.

Murray Hill which stretches from 23rd Street to 42nd street from the East River to Park Avenue South and Fifth Avenue can be described as a mix-use neighborhood which is home to several commercial establishments as well as residential townhouses and tall, full service condominium buildings. In fact the area of the Murray Hill which is located along First Avenue is commonly referred to as ‘Hospital Way’ as it hosts several doctor’s practices (the Murray Hill medical group, Murray Hill OBGYN LLP) as well as hospitals and medical centers like the Bellevue Hospital Center, the NYU Langone Medical Center and the NYU college of Dentistry.

Actually Murray Hill has within its boundaries several other mini-neighborhoods like Kips Bay whose boundaries roughly extend from 23rd street to 33rd Street from the East River all the way to Lexington Avenue. Kip’s Bay is home to the towering Kip’s Bay tower complex which was designed by renowned architect I.M.Pei in the early 1960's . This complex which consists of two towers also hosts a multi-screen cinema house, restaurants and outlets several popular stores.

Also located within Kips Bay is ‘Curry Hill’ or Big Apple’s Little India neighborhood which is located along Lexington Avenue from 26th to 29th Streets. This area is home to several good South Asian restaurants like Sarvana Bhavan, Tamil Nadu Bhavan, Dhaba, Haandi along with specialty grocery stores like Kalustyans and several other ethnic stores that sell saris and other knick-knacks. The well respected City University of New York, Bharuch College is also located nearby as is imposing building that houses the historic 69th Armory which is now used as an event space.

Aside from these ethnic restaurants, the neighborhood of Murray Hill is peppered with various other restaurants like the Vezzo Thin crust pizza, Primehouse Steak house, Il Trulli, Sushi Samba, Meli Melo, Dos Caminos and Artisanal all of which are the regular haunts of the young professionals who favor the neighborhood for its relatively affordability, convenience and myriad entertainment options.

The only drawback to living in Murray Hill is the fact that you have to deal with the constant roar of traffic as it moves towards the Queens-Midtown Tunnel whose entrance is located on E34th street .